


I Think They Love Each Other

by SixtySix



Category: National Football League RPF
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-11
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2018-03-29 19:06:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 12,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3907249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SixtySix/pseuds/SixtySix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Danny signed with the Patriots, he and Julian already knew each other. Actually, a lot better than they thought...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. London

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a pretty terrible writer, but this needed to exist. Enjoy.

“Not only did we lose to the freaking _Patriots_ , but I couldn't even play,“ he said disappointedly. “I'd probably break something anyway. Everyone's already making fun of me. They think I'm frail.”

“Listen, mate, I don't know a lot about American football, but didn't you say NFL?” Danny nodded as the bartender poured him another drink. “You must make millions! Even if you're not playing. Am I supposed to feel sorry for you now?”

Danny sighed and took a sip of his drink. This English bartender dude would never get the pressure of playing in the NFL.

“Maybe you should get yourself a girl, you know? To get over the loss.”

“I got a girl. Back in St. Louis. Well, if she still wants to be with a loser like me.” He downed his drink and got poured another. The bartender shook his head and went to serve someone else. Danny looked around the pub. He would have loved to hook up with some random girl he never had to see again, but his conscience – and also the media – would have never allowed that. Something like that would always come out.

“Look at that guy,” the bartender turned back to him, “what a giant douche. But the ladies seem to dig him.” Danny looked over his shoulder. _Aww crap!_ Rob Gronkowski was rocking the dance floor surrounded by a flock of sparsely dressed women. He danced in the most ridiculous way possible – almost like his weird touchdown dance – but somehow he still managed to look like he had the biggest dick of all the guys in the bar. Danny could see why every girl was throwing herself at him. It would be the ride of their life.

Danny turned away from Gronk. At the other side of room stood Julian Edelman, leaning against the wall. He was whispering sweet things into a blonde's ear, but eyed Danny while doing so. Danny looked away. And then back. Julian smirked. Danny looked away again. _Did he just wink at me?!_ “I don't need that now,” he murmured grumpily and the bartender understood, so he refilled Danny's glass.

Danny had first met Julian a little over a year ago in California during the NFL lockout in 2011. The both of them became nearly inseparable in that time. They spent almost every single minute of the day training, partying, and playing ping pong together and although they knew they would never be able to carry it out because they were on different teams, they even developed their own play. But then the season began and Danny and Julian lost touch completely. Danny recalled a great summer that year, but he was not in the mood to talk to Julian right now. Right now, in the middle of the season, they were enemies once again.

“If I didn't assume he's also on the winner team, I'd say that guy was flirting with you,” the bartender said laughingly.

“No, he's just being a smug asshole. And have you seen that girl he's talking to? Can't see her face, but man, she's hot.” Danny put his drink back down. “Fisher is gonna kill me.”

“Fisher your girlfriend?”

“No, the head coach... Guess it doesn't matter. I'm gonna be a free agent when this season ends. Who knows if they'll still want me.” Danny chugged the rest of his drink and the bartender refilled again. “Thanks, but I think I had enough.”

“I think you're just starting, princess.” Danny was just about to become indignant at the bartender's “princess” comment, but a hand touched his arm following a voice saying, “Hey, stud.” He looked up and saw a beautiful woman smiling at him. “Hi,” was all he could whisper.

“My friend over there” – she pointed over her shoulder – “and I have been wondering if you'd care to join us for tonight?” She slowly caressed his arm while she spoke. Danny couldn't believe this girl was talking to him. And also that she just invited him to spend the night with two of her kind. He leaned back a little to look at the other girl, but all he saw was Edelman still leaning against the wall, still smirking and now also raising an eyebrow.

“Wait. _That's_ your friend?” She bit her lip and nodded in a very sexy way. Everything she did was sexy to him. The alcohol was making him feel like his girlfriend being on another continent was a good excuse to forget about her for a night. _She probably just wants to dance a little, it's not like I'm gonna do anything with her_ , he told himself and payed the bartender. The beauty took his hand to pull him towards the dance floor. Gronk was already gone. They started dancing.

“I'm Hannah,” she said. “Danny,” he answered.

“I know.”

Edelman appeared behind Hannah and put his hands on her hips. Danny tried to ignore him, but Julian came around her and put an arm around Danny, too. Danny was a little irritated at first, but Hannah was so beautiful and Julian seemed so confident, he didn't dare to destroy the mood.

It didn't take very long until they were all exhausted. “Wanna get outta here?,” Julian asked. Danny hesitated, but Hannah nodded, so he followed. Before they got outside, Julian grabbed a Patriots cap from the coat rack and put it on Danny's head.

“What the hell, dude? I'm a proud Ram!,” he protested, pushing Julian's arm away.

“Could you say that any louder? Maybe we have a reporter in here somewhere. Want me to find you one?,” Julian asked. Danny didn't understand, but he put the cap on his head. “This way they will think you're just a fan celebrating the win. Nobody has to know we're leaving together,” Julian explained, putting a woolen Rams hat on his head. Danny smiled. “I like you better like that.”

“Well, and I like you better like that.”

“Behave, boys,” Hannah reconciled.

"Do you know a hotel within walking distance, Han?," Julian asked. Hannah opened her mouth, but Danny answered instead. "The hotel I'm staying at is right around the corner."

"Won't there be a lot of your teammates around?"

"Nah, most of them are out to see London's nightlife. We can just go through the backdoor. My room's right there."

Danny led them down the street until they reached the hotel. He only noticed how much he staggered when Julian grabbed his arm. It was quiet in the hallway as they entered. Danny spent almost a minute fumbling for his key card in his pockets. He couldn't remember if he left a mess in his hotel room, but saw that he didn't when they entered. In fact, it looked like he had never even checked in.

“Why don't you boys make yourselves comfortable. I'll be right back,” Hannah announced and disappeared in the bathroom as soon as she located it. Danny and Julian looked at each other. Julian got rid of his hat and his jacket. He walked over to Danny who was still awkwardly standing in the middle of the room and put his arms on Danny's shoulders.

“You know what's gonna happen here, right?” Danny felt like vomiting. The alcohol was kicking in and also the excitement. He had never been this close to a guy he was just talking to and it seemed like Julian's face moved even closer to his.

“We're gonna share this beautiful lady, we're gonna make her real happy tonight. But first we need to get a little comfortable. With each other. Don't you agree?” Danny said nothing. He tried to think about what Julian said, but his mind was foggy. Julian took the Patriots cap from Danny's head, let it drop to the floor and then he kissed him on the mouth. Danny was caught off guard, so Julian had no trouble parting Danny's lips with his tongue. They kissed for a moment until Danny turned his head away. “Whoa, what are you doing, bro?”

Julian smiled. “Making us comfortable.”

Danny shook his head and freed himself from Julian's embrace. Only then he realized that it had actually not been a very bad kiss. The sound of the bathroom door being opened interrupted that thought, which he didn't want to have in the first place. 

Julian turned some music on and shouted, “It's party time.” Hannah jumped on top of the big bed and Julian followed. They started dancing slowly. It was really more grinding than dancing. Danny felt out of place. It wasn't the first time he thought about leaving his own hotel room. _This is weird, right? I shouldn't be here._ But something kept him there, something wouldn't let him stop staring at this beautiful couple dancing on his bed.

It was already midnight when Julian started unzipping Hannah's dress, which then slithered to the ground. Hannah threw her arms in the air and moved her hips to the music. Julian kissed her neck while he made eye contact with Danny, mouthing “come on”, but Danny hesitated. He didn't remember what he expected when he entered the room with these two. They had great chemistry and he knew they were going to have sex tonight, but he didn't want to be right in the middle of that. He thought about Talor, his beautiful girlfriend. He thought about her blonde hair and her blue eyes and her soft lips until he realized that he was already on the bed, kissing Hannah. He stopped. _What did I just think about?_

She kissed him again and he knew he was lost. Whatever he had thought about was gone and lust took over. He softly cupped her breasts and slowly massaged her nipples through the fabric of her bra. They shared a long, deep kiss. Julian undressed her completely and she turned around to start returning the favor.

Danny got nervous, he thought he needed another sip of alcohol. He's had a threesome before, but never with another guy. He stumbled across the room to the mini bar and put a bottle to his lips, but Julian stopped him, taking the bottle down and whispering, “You've had enough.” Danny wanted to protest, but Julian first pulled Danny's hoodie over his head and then his t-shirt. Danny let it happen. He felt hot anyway.

Julian bit his lip. _He's so hot_ , Danny thought, _for a guy I mean_.

Hannah stood next to them now, seizing both men by the arms and pulling them towards the bed. They fell onto it and lay there laughing, until Julian started kissing Hannah. Danny watched. This was definitely better than porn, but he started to feel a little lost again. When Hannah opened Julian's jeans to free his cock, Danny thought of leaving. He didn't want to see another guy's dick outside of a locker room. Even there it got awkward at times. But still, he felt the blood rising to his own the more he watched Hannah jacking Julian off.

The last thought of running away rushed through his head, but then he heard Hannah say, “Danny, come here,” and Danny obeyed like he never had a doubt. He knelt down at her other side and she did the same she had done with Julian: unzipping his jeans, making her way through his boxers and starting to massage Danny's cock. He closed his eyes and opened them again. She really jacked them both off at the same time, he wasn't just daydreaming. Danny glanced over to Julian and Julian smiled at him.

Hannah wrapped her lips around Danny's cock, while Julian got down between her legs. He kissed her belly and her thighs and then he started pleasuring her with his mouth. His tongue moved slowly at first, tracing every inch of her labia. He must have been really good because she moaned as loud as Danny's shaft in her mouth would allow it. The sucking noise from both Hannah and Julian's mouths turned Danny on much more than he expected.

Julian paused to undress himself completely and Danny did the same. They were all naked and a little sweaty from all the dancing. Danny almost scrutinized Julian's body. He had never thought to find another man this sexy, but he was, especially in the confident way he handled this beautiful woman in front of them.

Hannah put him out of his paralysis. She howled, “Somebody fuck me now!”

Both Julian and Danny moved toward her. Danny wanted to retreat, but Julian said, “Go ahead,” and stepped back. Danny got on his knees right between her legs, pulled her a little closer, and didn't hesitate to dive into her. He went slow at first, but upped his pace in reaction to her moans. The other man behind him was almost forgotten until he started kissing Danny's neck and caressing his chest and abs. He twisted Danny's nipples softly between two fingers and got the reaction he wanted: Danny moaned loudly. He threw his head back and grabbed Julian's hair while he was still thrusting into Hannah.

Julian kissed his way up Danny's neck, over his jaw and up to his lips. He kissed him wildly and passionately and Danny let go of his hair, just to grab his face instead and pull it closer. Their tongues joined in.

“Unh, Danny,” he heard Hannah moan, but it sounded far away, “Danny, don't stop. Look at me. Danny.”

But Danny couldn't hear her anymore. All he could hear was the blood pumping through his veins and Julian's heavy breathing. His hips moved slower and slower until he rested inside of her. She pushed herself up on her elbows and said, “Jules!” in a complaining tone, but he didn't acknowledge her either.

Danny pulled himself out of Hannah and threw Julian on the bed right next to her. She rolled out of the way before Julian would land on top of her. Danny kissed the other man again and again, touching him everywhere, while Julian ran his fingers through Danny's hair.

They rolled over, Julian on top now, still kissing until Julian had to gasp for air. Danny bit his lip in anticipation. For a moment, he thought Julian would stop, but instead, he started moving his hips back and forth, grinding his own cock against Danny's. Danny closed his eyes, moaning. He couldn't believe how good he felt with Julian. Before this night, he had never even looked at another man in a sexual way.

Danny felt Julian's hand massaging his cock now and dug his fingers into Julian's back, pulling him closer. He wanted Julian as close as physically possible. Julian was more muscly than anyone he has ever had sex with. Danny couldn't decide if that was better or worse. All he knew was that he couldn't stop. He couldn't stop kissing this other man. And he definitely couldn't stop liking it.

Julian freed himself from Danny's hungry lips to sit back on Danny's lower body, slowly inserting his cock into him. Danny couldn't believe how good it felt, he immediately started pushing deeper into Julian. They both moaned loudly while Julian moved up and down with a sturdy pace.

Julian lowered his torso onto Danny's and started kissing him again. Danny could feel Julian's cock rubbing against his belly and it somehow turned him on even more. _I can't believe I'm fucking Julian Edelman in the ass right now_ , he thought and couldn't stop himself from giggling. Julian smiled and kissed Danny again. “It feels good when you laugh, I can feel it in my ass,” he said and then they both laughed.

After a just a few minutes, Danny's moaning got louder and his breath shorter. Julian noticed he was about to cum, so he rolled off of him and finished him off with his hand. Danny ejaculated on his own tummy. He closed his eyes. Danny was exhausted, but Julian wouldn't let him rest just yet.

“Nah, bro, this was just the start,” Julian said, smirking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [October 28, 2012: New England Patriots @ St. Louis Rams (Wembley Stadium, London) - W 45–7]
> 
> Well, that was awful, I'm so glad it's not gonna be a multi-chapter fic... Oh, wait. It is.


	2. Goodbye

Danny wiped his forehead with his sleeve before he took off his sweatshirt and stuffed it in his bag with all the other stuff. There was nothing left. Just like his locker, a feeling of emptiness crept through his guts.

_I'm not a Ram anymore. What did I do?_

To underline his doubts, he noticed his quarterback – now ex quarterback – Sam Bradford leaning against the door frame.

“So this is it,” he said. It wasn't a question.

Danny nodded slowly. And then he shook his head, “No, this isn't the end of anything. Not of our careers and not of our friendship.”

Sam just looked away. Danny wasn't sure if he was just sad or actually mad at him. There was silence for a while.

“It's funny how they said you were _my_ _guy_. Because _my guy_ wouldn't sign somewhere at the other side of the country to switch me out for Tom fucking Brady.”

“Don't be an ass. I told you I have to look out for myself now, for my future. I'm twenty-seven,. It's not like I'm at the beginning of my career like you.”

Danny could see Sam internally fighting with himself. He clenched his hands into fists and chewed on his lip, but then relaxed.

“Sorry,” he said and took a few steps towards his friend. Danny threw his bag over his shoulder and walked over to Sam. He smiled. “I'll miss you, bro,” he said and hugged him. He didn't let go until Sam put his arms around him too and gave him a proper goodbye hug.

“Don't be a stranger, okay? Call me once in a while and tell me about the guys and Belichick and Brady.”

“I promise.”

Danny was relieved to see Sam's typical bright smile. He always looked like a twelve-year-old boy when he smiled. Not even the fuzz of his beard could hide that.

“Goodbye, Sammy.”

 

* * *

 

“You ready?,” Talor asked and gave him a peck on the lips. Danny nodded and put an arm around her.

“Sam was really upset.”

“He'll get over it. Fisher's gonna draft him a new target and he'll forget _all_ about you.”

Danny grimaced. He didn't want Sam to forget him. He wanted Sam to be happy for him like he said when he had first heard the news. Danny had a feeling that this had been a lie.

“You know what I mean. You're still gonna be friends.”

“Yeah, I know, babe.”

They walked to the car and got in. Talor got behind the steering wheel. Danny loved watching her drive. Her face got this concentrated look as if she was doing a modeling job. She was a natural talent and beautiful like no girlfriend of his ever was. Danny considered himself lucky that she wanted to date him. He always felt like a little boy when he talked to beautiful women, he got all nervous and sweaty and couldn't speak one sentence without stuttering. But her eyes gave him confidence.

“I love you,” he said and she smiled.

They got back to their house and were greeted by their two dogs, Willie and DeaDea. Danny squatted to pet them while Talor rushed right to their bedroom to collect all the stuff they hadn't packed yet.

“Do you want that weird jacket you got in London?” Danny heard her call from the bedroom.

“Yes. And it's  _not_ weird,” he shouted back. Sometimes she was so unaccepting of what he liked. Her tone always seemed to tell him to grow up. But how could you grow up when you played a game for a living?

Danny helped Talor finish packing and then she drove him to the airport. Danny already missed his girlfriend although he was sitting right next to her. They hadn't been apart since the London game. And now they wouldn't even live together anymore.

“So, this is it,” he said when she parked the car.

“Yes, this is your gate,” she answered, but that wasn't what he had meant. Talor got out of the car and pulled his luggage out of the trunk of their jeep.

“So, I will call you when I land in New York. God, I hope the apartment is what they said it would be,” she said more to herself and not him. Danny pulled her close and put his arms around her.

“Don't worry, my beauty, it'll be great. I will see you on Saturday and we're both gonna have the jobs we love.”

Talor smiled, “I will miss you.”

“I will miss you too, princess,” he said and kissed her deeply.

“Have a save flight.”

And then they parted. Loving a model had great advantages, but also dark sides, for example when you moved relatively close to New York. Talor wanted to seize the opportunity and model there.

When Danny boarded the plane he touched it for good luck.  _Good luck is what I need. On to New England._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [March 13, 2013: Danny signs with the Patriots]
> 
> Happy Birthday, #11.


	3. Shipping Up To Boston

“Amendola, over here!,” someone shouted at a very sleepy and confused Danny. He looked around, tripping over somebody else's luggage, only to get caught by a guy before he could hit the ground.

“That's what I call a nice welcome to Foxboro,” said the guy and laughed. _I know him_ , Danny thought, but couldn't quite remember. _How do I know this guy? Football, that's right!_

“Hey Julian,” Danny said.

“Good to see you, bro,” Julian said. “I came to show you around a bit. You up for that?”

Danny nodded. He wanted to see the house that he rented, but that had to wait now. Julian helped Danny with his luggage. They put the bags in Julian's car and got on the road.

“Okay, first, I'm gonna show you our home turf – wait, no, that's the best thing, so that I'll do last..,” Julian told him a lot about Boston, but Danny was a bit too tired to pay attention to all the facts that came flying at him. Also, his dad was from Boston and Danny had probably heard all of this before.

“I love Bruins games. And the Red Sox. Do you like hockey and baseball? Bet you do, it's hard not to.”

They stopped for burgers at a burger joint, that was – according to Julian – the best one in the whole Boston area. “Telling ya, the only place that makes 'em better is in San Fran.”

“Are you taking a picture of it?”

“Of course. It's #burgertyme,” Julian grinned and then he read his caption out loud, “Boston burgers with Amenbrola.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a sorry excuse for a chapter. It'll get better... I think.


	4. Sharing Headphones smh

“You look amazing,” Julian said as Danny jogged over to him. “I mean, I haven't seen anyone that quick in a while.”

Julian had decided to take a break from the running drills and sit in the shade. It wasn't a very warm day, but the sun and the drills had heated him up. He took his sunglasses off and tried to untangle his earphones. Danny sat down next to him.

“Come on, bro, you killed me out there.”

“Yeah, I did,” Julian agreed, laughing, which earned him a punch in the arm.

“Don't pretend I wasn't your idol back in 2011.”

“Well, you know what they say: only the student can defeat the master.”

Danny shook his head, but he decided not to take their argument further. His phone vibrated in his pocket. It was a text from Talor. Danny didn't notice that Julian was reading it, too.

“Who's Talor?”

“My girlfriend.”

“Aww.”

“Shut up.”

“How come you haven't introduced her yet?”

“She lives in New York.”

“Let me guess, she's a model, am I right? Got one of those, too.”

“You have a girlfriend?”

Julian laughed, “Olivia and I are just friends with – you know – benefits.”

“Come on, that is so cliché.”

“So is a model girlfriend.”

Danny couldn't disagree, so he changed the subject. “I forgot my headphones. What are you listening to?”

Without a word, Julian handed him one of his earphones.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [April 21, 2013]
> 
> Finally an update! Sorry, it's so short again. I just haven't been feeling it lately. But I think I'll write more now that football's back again.


	5. OTAs

Organized Team Activities. Danny didn't feel good when he drove up to Gilette that morning. He's had a great time getting to know Boston better with his new buddy Julian, but he also missed Sam Bradford. OTAs had been the best part of his off-season. He had spent so much time with Sam, Talor had had to kick Sam out of their house multiple times in order to have some alone time with Danny.

“Happy first day of FOOTBALL!” Julian shouted with his face pressed against the window of Danny's car, leaving a greasy print.

“Hey!” Danny jumped out of his car. He punched Julian in the shoulder and sloppily cleaned the window with his sleeve. Julian was so excited, he skipped the whole way from the driveway to the entrance of the locker room, telling Danny all about last year's OTAs.

“I love being back,” he murmured more to himself than to Danny. The pit in Danny's stomach grew bigger. Danny had generally no reason to, but he was always afraid of not fitting in. Eagles, Cowboys, Rams, Patriots – it made no difference, Danny was always worried he wouldn't be liked. It didn't make Danny feel much better when Julian spotted Tom Brady at his locker and raced right to him to exchange what seemed to be a secret handshake with him. Danny put his bag down by his locker and started changing until he felt somebody standing behind him. He turned around and gasped.

Tom Brady would do that to people. What a presence this man had.

“Hi, I'm Tom,” he said, offering Danny his hand to shake. Danny took it. “Danny.”

“Nice to meet you. I'm looking forward to testing your skills today.”

Tom winked at Danny and left the locker room.

“Did he just wink at you?” asked Julian who was now standing next to Danny.

“Wow,” was all Danny could get out.

“I know, right?”

 

* * *

 

The training was hard. Danny dropped three out of four balls Tom threw to him. Danny had worked his tail off throughout the whole off-season, but he still felt rusty surrounded by these great athletes that were now his teammates. Julian seemed to notice. He pat his friend on the back and asked, “What's wrong, bud?”

Danny grimaced. “I don't know if I can keep up yet.”

“Of course you can! Don't doubt yourself. It'll go from your brain straight into your muscles.”

Julian's words and his smile were so encouraging, Danny felt better immediately.

Back in the locker room, it took every speck of courage Danny had to go up to Tom Brady and apologize for being so unfocused.

“Um, Tom? About today...” Tom didn't let him finish. He seemed to know exactly what Danny was going to say.

“Don't worry about it. I get it: you're new, it's the first day. You're gonna get better. We all are. If the season started today, we'd look like the Jets out there. But luckily, it doesn't. Today, we start establishing our chemistry. Okay? Great. See you tonight, babe.”

 _You'll always remember the first time Tom calls you “babe”. Mostly because it's not as annoying then,_ Danny recalled Julian saying.  
_Wait, you find it annoying?_ Danny had asked.  
_No, just that he calls_ everyone _babe._

Danny waited for Julian to finish showering and they started walking to the parking lot together.

“What's tonight?” Danny asked. Julian stopped in his tracks.

“Shit! I didn't tell you? How did I not tell you? We're camping on the practice field tonight.”

“What? Coach B is allowing that?”

“As long as we don't use any tent pegs. And no alcohol, but you know, rules are made to be broken. No tent pegs though. One hole in the ground and you'll be traded tomorrow.”

“I don't have a tent.”

“Bro, I got you covered.” Julian smirked.

 

* * *

 

The sun was almost completely gone when Danny arrived at the practice field at 9pm. A little village of tents was growing and the smell of barbecue filled the air. Vince Wilfork was wearing a giant chef's hat, waving at Danny with huge barbecue tongs. Jerod Mayo tossed him a cold can of beer. He opened it and made his way further into the tent labyrinth. They were all constructed around the biggest and most expensive-looking tent of them all. It was lit from the outside by multiple garden spotlights and had a huge "TB12" print on the side.

“Hey Gronk,” Danny greeted the large man, who was struggling to put up his tiny tent next to Tom's.

“Hey Dola. Lost your twin?”

Danny was about to say something about the twin comment when he heard his name. Julian motioned for him to come over to the other side of Tom's tent.

“This is ours,” Julian said proudly pointing at a neat little tent for two. He sat down on a camping chair and opened himself a beer. Danny joined him.

“So what's this about?”

“Officially just celebrating that football's back, teambuilding and that kinda stuff. Inofficially? We're gonna throw the rookies in the pond tonight.”

Danny almost choked on his beer. He had seen the newly drafted defensive players Jamie Collins and Michael Buchanan assemble their tent near to the blocking sleds and the defensive backs Logan Ryan and Duron Harmon (both from Rutgers) shared a tent next to that and a little to the side were wide receivers Aaron Dobson and Josh Boyce going to spent the night. There was just a small road and a patch of trees until one would reach Mann Pond.

“But how are we going to get them there without them waking up?”

“That's what all the beer is for.”

It was ingenious, Danny had to admit. “Who thought of all of this?”

“TB12. King Prank. Believe me, you don't wanna start a prank war with Tom. I had to learn that the hard way. He's as crazy as he is brilliant.”

 

* * *

 

It got darker and later and the beer was still flowing. The veterans started a drinking game of whenever someone mentioned football, which they of course did a lot, Tom, who didn't drink any alcohol, could decide who had to take a shot. Obviously, he mostly picked the poor rookies, who were already swaying like a ship in a storm just sitting on the grass. They were fresh out of college, so it took several hours until the first one of them, Josh Boyce, passed out. Aaron Dobson, Rob Ninkovich, and Ryan Wendell carried him to his tent, but only the latter two returned.

“Dobson passed out right next to Josh,” Ninko giggled.

“Okay guys,” Tom said suddenly, standing up, “time to hit the hay for all of us. We still have one day of practice until we get a day off.”

Julian and Danny crawled into their tent. They lay on the air mattress facing each other. Danny wanted to say something, but he felt really tired all of the sudden. His eyelids felt too heavy to hold up. _Just for a second_ , he thought and closed his eyes.

“Danny,” Julian said softly, but Danny didn't react. Not until he felt Julian's hand on his cheek, gently caressing it with his thumb. Julian's hand rested there for a moment, but then slowly wandered down Danny's neck, over the clavicle to the shoulder, down the inside of his arm until it reached Danny's fingers. Danny lay still, not sure if he felt comfortable being touched like that by another man, but he couldn't help but meet Julian's fingers with his own. They never broke eye contact, not even when Danny moved a little closer to his teammate. His body had betrayed his mind and decided that being touched by Julian was indeed very welcome.

Slowly – almost painfully slow – their lips came together. They kissed softly and full of hesitation at first, but then Julian's hand parted from Danny's and slipped under his t-shirt. Danny's skin trembled under Julian's touch and for the first time since Julian had said his name, Danny felt like he could breathe again.

Danny used his now free hand to pull Julian closer and they kissed passionately. Danny thought he could hear Julian's heartbeat, but maybe it was just his own. And maybe it was the sound of Tom opening the zipper of their tent.

Julian and Danny parted like they've been struck by lightning. Not a second later and Tom stuck his head into their tents.

“It's time.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [May 20-21/May 23/May 28-30/June 3-4/June 6-7, 2013: Patriots OTAs]
> 
> It's been a while. Hope you're still with me.
> 
> How could I not give them their very own Brokeback Mountain tent scene after this interview: media.weei.com/a/108740225/patriots-wr-danny-amendola-talks-reggie-wayne-and-offensive-tempo-in-game-3-8-31-15.htm (He didn't answer who he'd like to have a Brokeback Mountain moment with, but WE ALL KNOW WHO.)
> 
> By the way, feedback is VERY welcome.


	6. Stumble And Fall

"You guys go wake up Gronk. We'll meet in front of the media tent."

Tom's head disappeared and Danny and Jules were left alone in awkward silence. They looked at each other for a while, neither of them daring to break the silence. Danny had what seemed like a million thoughts running through his head, but nothing made enough sense to say it out loud. And then Julian smirked.

"So, let's go wake Gronk," he said and left the tent. Danny followed. When they reached Gronk's tent, he asked himself how such a large human could fit into a tiny tent like that and he got the answer when he tripped over something. It was dark, but he made out what he tripped over. Feet.

Gronk made a groaning sound and started stirring. "I'm up, no need to kick me."

"Sorry," Danny whispered and Jules giggled. "We'll meet by the media tent."

It took a while to get all the half-drunk, half-asleep players in one place. When they were finally gathered, it was already past 5am and the first few birds began their singing routine. Tom gave orders like a general and his soldiers started moving. Danny hadn't heard a word Tom said. It took all his attention trying not to smile like an idiot thinking about Julian and him in their tent. 

"Danny, come on. We have a job to do," Julian said and grabbed Danny's wrist to pull his teammate with him.

Looking at the tiny tents, which loud snoring emerged from, it seemed impossible to get the air mattresses out with the sleeping rookies on them and not wake them up in the process, but somehow, Josh Boyce was still sound asleep when Danny, Julian and Matthew Slater finally got the whole mattress out. The tent was still standing unlike the one Gronk and Vince Wilfork were helping with. All around the practice field, they could hear the men giggle and others shushing them, half giggling themselves. When they finally freed all the rookies from their tents, the march began, Tom lead the way. He had a football belt tied around his head trying to look like Rambo.

They had only crossed the little road when the linemen had to put their rookies down to catch their breaths. In that moment, Danny was glad he was one of the small wide receivers.

"Guys, let's continue," Tom whispered and they entered the small forest. The ground was moist, so the leaves didn't crunch under their feet, but it was a little slippery and they had to watch where they were going in the twilight of dawn. Danny didn't watch the ground. He caught himself staring at Julian over and over again, but he couldn't help it. Every time he looked at his teammate, he noticed another thing he liked about him. Julian's blue eyes, the little dimple in his chin, how the veins in his arms popped out, the way he pressed his lips together when he did something straining... Looking at Julian, he felt a warmth in his gut that he knew he should not feel.

And that's when he slipped. Danny went down. Matthew and Julian struggled to keep the air mattress in a horizontal position until Danny got back up.

"Damn, Danny," Julian hissed, "concentrate!"

"I can't," Danny whispered back.

"Why not?"

Just a look was enough and Julian understood. Matthew however did not. He opened his mouth to ask, but Julian told him to just continue. It was a miracle that they got all the rookies to the pond with only one of them waking up. A low hanging branch had hit Michael Buchanan in the head. He was promptly let in on the plan and helped instead of getting pranked himself.

The sight of all the rookies floating on the water caused quite a few giggles here and there. Ryan Mallett handed Tom a Brazil-themed vuvuzela, which the latter had borrowed from his wife. He took a deep breath and blew into it. The obnoxious sound woke one rookie after another. It took them a moment to realize where they were and the first self-rescue attempts started. Ryan Allen immediately fell into the water and tried saving himself by climbing on Chris Jones' mattress. He did not succeed and when Chris tried to help, the mattress flipped and he found himself in the same situation as Allen. Logan Ryan's air mattress had a hole and was slowly sinking. Jamie Collins, who did not wake up until then, let out a "yooo" and the veterans yelled with laughter. 

"Hey," Danny said quietly, "are we going to talk about what happened?"

Julian looked at him. "There's nothing to talk about. No big deal. We all went to college."

"But..." Danny started. _But I liked it_ , he wanted to say. But he didn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Started this chapter in celebration of Danny restructuring his contract again to stay with the team (and his boyfriend), a true Patriot, forced myself to finish it with Julian's 30th birthday. Happy birthday, ya old fart <3


	7. New York

"I can't tell you how tired I am." Danny leaned his head on Julian's shoulder as they watched bag after bag go by on the baggage carousel. Julian laughed.

"I told you going out last night was not the best idea."

"Yeah, but it was fun though," Danny mumbled into his teammate's shoulder. "How are you so fit after last night?"

"Made myself a special smoothie this morning. Next time, I'll make one for you too. Watch it, there's your bag."

Danny pulled his bag from the carousel with a groan and Julian rolled his eyes. "You have 3 hours to take a nap, but then we're meeting Olivia for lunch."

Danny nodded und grabbed also Julian's bag when it was coming by. He handed Julian his bag, but held onto it for a moment. "Listen. Talor can't know about the kiss."

"I know, bro. I got you... What, were you thinking I'd introduce myself like, 'hi, I'm Julian and I kissed your boyfriend'?"

Danny blushed. "No, but, you know..."

Julian put his arm around Danny's shoulders. "I don't kiss and tell. Come on."

 

* * *

 

When Danny and Julian arrived at Talor's apartment, they were greeted by her little dogs, Willie and DeaDea. Jules squatted down and they jumped into his arms right away. Talor laughed. "If my dogs like you, I like you. Nice to finally meet you, Julian."

"I guess my opinion doesn't matter as much as the dogs'." Danny said with a fake pout. He pulled Talor into his arms and kissed her deeply.

"Geez, you look tired," Talor remarked after they parted, closely insepecting the dark circles under Danny's eyes. "Come on, I'll make some coffee."

The boys followed her into the kitchen and took a seat at the kitchen counter. While his girlfriend was busy operating her expensive-looking coffee machine, Danny used his index finger to draw small circles on top of Julian's knee. Julian smiled softly. He almost didn't hear Talor noticing his Kent State shirt.

"Wait, you went to Kent State?"

"Oh uh, yeah. Class of 2009."

"What a coincidence! I went there freshman year in 2006. Probably watched you play football and I didn't even know. I wasn't that into it back then. What did you major in?"

"Business management."

"Did you also have that math professor who always threw chalk at students who talked in lectures? Hm, what was his name again..."

"Yes! I remember him. Professor Pentea. He hit me quite a lot."

Danny zoned out. He was too tired to follow the conversation, but he couldn't bring himself to leave and take a nap. His two favorite people in the world were bonding with each other and he didn't want to miss a second of it. He was pulled back into reality when he heard Talor say his name.

"Danny, did you hear me? I gotta go to work."

"But we're supposed to meet Julian's friend in two hours."

Talor grimaced. "I can't. I texted you that I have work last night. You even replied. Did you forget?"

"No, no. I remember now," he lied. Talor kissed him goodbye, told Julian to make himself at home, and then she was gone.

"Well," Julian proclaimed as they heard the apartment door shutting, "you're going to take a nap now. I can't watch you fighting to stay awake any longer."

 

* * *

 

Danny usually felt more tired waking up from naps than before, but when he woke up to Julian grinning at him, he felt his heart jump a little.

"Were you watching me sleep?"

"Yes."

Danny pulled the cover over his face to hide his smile. "Creep."

They got ready and left the apartment. It was a bright, warm day and there were lots of people out. The two friends took their time strolling along the street next to one another, enjoying that the probability of being recognized was much smaller than in Boston. They came across a guy in Patriots gear anyway. He didn't pay the players any attention, so Julian nudged Danny with his elbow in the side and said, "Let's make this guy's day."

Julian pulled out his phone and tapped the fan on the shoulder. "S'cuse me. Would you be so kind to take a picture of me and my bro?"

"Sure. Hey, aren't you _Julian Edelman?_ "

"The one and only."

They waited as the the guy turned his back to them to announce to all of his friends who was standing in front of them. "Guys, it's Julian Edelman! And uh -"

"Wes Welker," Danny finished the guy's sentence without thinking. Julian had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing out loud. None of the men actually appeared to know who Danny was.

"Really? You look _so_ different on TV!"

"I get that all the time."

Danny heard Julian wheezing next to him. The guy didn't seem to notice. He and all of his companions were already taking selfies with the two Patriots. Finally, they also got the picture Julian had asked for at the beginning.

 

 

Julian was still giggling about Danny's fraud when they arrived at their destination. Olivia Frischer wasn't the only guest in the small Italian bistro that she had chosen for them, but she was the only one catching the boys' attention. Her smile lit up the whole room. She ran her fingers through her long blonde hair, which softly fell over shoulders, before she noticed Danny and Julian.

"Look at you two! You're adorable," Olivia exclaimed and got up to hug the men. "You're exactly the same height."

"That is not true," Julian retorted.

"Yeah, I'm taller," Danny chimed in.

Olivia laughed. "Maybe. But not by much."

Julian introduced his friends and they sat down to order their food. Olivia sat as close as possible to Julian and stole kisses from him as much as he would allow it. Danny barely noticed. He instensely listened to Julian's stories even though he knew them all already, just to distract himself from feeling disappointed with Talor for not being with him. He knew it wasn't her fault that it came as such a surprise. She had texted him and he had been drunk and didn't really pay attention to it.

"I got a surprise for you, boys," Olivia said all of the sudden. "I got us tickets for the Governors Ball. And we're lucky! Kings of Leon were supposed to play yesterday, but couldn't because of the weather, so they're playing tonight!"

That brightened Danny's mood significantly. You could never go wrong with live music.

 

 

* * *

 

Danny fell into his bed. He felt exhausted, but happy. His girlfriend, who was already sleeping next to him, woke up just long enough to wrap her arms around his waist. He kissed her on the forehead and closed his eyes to fall asleep. It had no use. His mind showed him one picture over and over again. Julian. Arms wide open, face towards the sky, eyes closed. Pure bliss. That's what that image made Danny feel. His heart jumped a little whenever he thought about it and he couldn't stop grinning like an idiot. He felt incredibly happy that he joined the Patriots and found Julian as a friend again, although it was much different from when they first became friends during the lockout. Julian had changed a lot since then. Not only was his hair shorter, but he carried himself with more confidence, more maturity. Danny admired that.

After tossing and turning until the sun started to brighten the sky for another day, Danny finally decided to get up. He didn't feel tired even after thinking about Julian practically the whole night. Talor was still sound asleep when he closed the bedroom door behind him. His stomach growled at him and he knew what to do.

Talor's kitchen was spotless. It took him at least ten minutes to find the cereal. He knew he wasn't supposed to, but he sat on top of the kitchen counter to eat his breakfast. He looked out of the window and watched New York slowly awaken in the first light of day. He wondered why so many people would be awake at this time on a Sunday morning. Even Julian was stirring in the living room, which was separated from the kitchen only by doorway without a door.

Julian stepped into the kitchen with a big yawn. His hair was all cowlicks.

"You're up early," he said with a raspy voice from singing along to Kings of Leon too loud.

"I could say the same to you," Danny stated in a happy tone.

"I could hear you chew," Julian replied while pouring himself a glass of orange juice.

Danny put his bowl of cereal down. "Sorry."

"Just messing with you," Julian grinned and downed the whole glass. He put it down next to the sink. "I was thinking," he said, slowly walking towards his teammate.

Danny got a nervous feeling in his stomach all of the sudden. "You were thinking...?"

"I was thinking about you."

"About me...?"

Julian came to a stop in front of Danny, who was still sitting on top of the kitchen counter, standing right between Danny's thighs.

"Come on, Danny, I notice the way you look at me."

"What way is that?," Danny asked, his voice merely a whisper. Julian's lips were so close, all he had to to was lean in. But Danny's chest felt tight. It wasn't right. Not while his girlfriend was sleeping two doors down the hall.

Julian noticed Danny's hesitation, so he leaned in for him, but Danny turned his head away. It took everything for him not to give in. "What do you want from me?," Danny whisped, defeatedly.

"I want to keep kissing you," Julian answered softly. They locked eyes. It took just a moment and Danny gave in. He pulled Julian closer by his t-shirt, their lips collided, and then it was just heavy breathing and clutching each other until the door to the hallway opened. Julian broke away from Danny as fast as he could and stumbled backwards. Danny jumped down from the counter.

"Hey, good morning you two early birds," Talor said with a big smile on her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [June 8, 2013: Kings of Leon @ Governors Ball (New York City)]
> 
> I wanted to finish this dumb chapter for Danny's birthday. Look how well that worked out. Anyway, happy new year.


	8. Wild Horses Couldn't Drag Me Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm dedicating this chapter to MrsFlashBrightside, because I can't even tell you how much it means to me that you're always so excited about this fic.

Someone gently squeezed his shoulder as the intro video started. It was Julian. Of course it was. Julian hadn't left Danny's side ever since they got back from New York. They both felt something new growing between them - this happy little flutter in their stomachs - but they didn't quite know what to do with that. It was not real enough for them to talk about it, so Julian silently respected that Danny was in a relationship and didn't try to kiss Danny again, which the latter was thankful for. What Danny felt for Julian was uncertain and fragile, what he felt for Talor was real. He loved her. And that's why he had decided to stop bending the rules.

The video faded away and the music started playing, lights flashing everywhere. Danny smiled at Julian and Julian smiled back.

"Ladies and gentlemen, will you please welcome The ROLLING STONES!"

The crowd started yelling and so did two Patriots. The first song was "Get Off My Cloud" and Julian started to sing along. Danny joined in and soon it turned into a competition. Song after song, both of them gave their all to sing along louder than the other even if they sometimes didn't know the lines. By the time they got to the fifteenth song, which was "Miss You", they were both exhausted and their voices became hoarse, but still neither of them wanted to give up. Julian started tickling Danny. It was really unfair because Danny was ticklish and Julian wasn't, so all Danny could do to fight back was to hold both of Julian's hands. Julian made efforts to wriggle his hands free, but couldn't stop from laughing when he heard Danny sing along to the "Oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh" part of the song. Mick Jagger encouraged the whole audience to sing along and most of the people were just making an awful sound, like a dying wolf.

Danny giggled too, but didn't let go of Julian's hands. "Miss You" came to an end and the Stones began playing "Start Me Up". The football players rested their vocal chords for a moment. Danny watched the beautiful background art playing behind the stage. He almost forgot he was still holding Julian's hands, but then he heard Julian's voice singing along softly. It wasn't competitive anymore.

" _If you start me up, I'll never stop._ "

Julian leaned in to Danny, but did not touch him. His voice was raspy and sexy, it made the delicate hairs on Danny's neck stand up. It took a lot of strength for Danny not to turn his face towards Julian. _You can't break the rules whenever you want_ , he reminded himself.

" _If you start me up, give it all you got. You got to never, never, never stop._ "

Julian's mouth was so close to Danny's ear now that he could feel his breath on his ear. His eyes took a quick look around the entirety of TD Garden. Nobody payed any attention to the two football players which seemed to have forgotten what personal space was. They were all focused on Mick Jagger on the stage below. Up where Danny and Julian were, it was darker and Danny was glad about that. He was ninety percent sure he was blushing like a schoolgirl when he felt Julian's breath on his ear. It made him want to break the rules again. He wanted it badly.

" _You, you, you make a grown man cry._ "

Julian's voice finally broke and he fell quiet. Danny could stop himself from turning his head anymore. Their faces were so close that their noses touched. The song had ended and the crowd was cheering, but the two men didn't hear a sound other than their own heartbeats. Gazing deep into each other's eyes, they understood that they could not kiss right there in public, but that didn't stop them from imagining it.

The next song started. Julian closed his eyes and Danny finally found the strength to pull away. He felt exhausted all of the sudden. He couldn't remember when he had ever experienced something as intense as the connection he just felt between him and Julian. When he looked over, Julian was facing the stage like nothing ever happened.

Danny dared to look at Jules again when the Boston University Marsh Chapel Choir started singing "You Can't Always Get What You Want" a few songs later. During the whole song, he wondered what Julian was making of all of this. Danny had never really seen him take anything but football seriously - least of all his relationships - but Danny still wondered in that moment, if maybe Julian wanted to be with him as much as he wanted to be with Julian.

" _You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well you just might find, you get what you need._ "

The song ended and Julian finally looked over to Danny. They locked eyes and the last song started playing.

" _I can't get no satisfaction._ "

Julian grinned at his teammate. It was contagious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [June 12, 2013: Rolling Stones Concert @ TD Garden (Boston)]
> 
> This is a goddamn work of FICTION. And yet, here I am, watching videos from that Rolling Stones concert in order to get everything right. So uneccessary. Hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> Oh, please let me know if you like it when I put pictures in the fics. I had one for this chapter too, but I'm not sure if I should post them here.


	9. The Next Wes Welker

Another ball slipped through Danny's fingers and hit the ground. He almost cursed right in front of Coach Belichick, but only let out a very angry "Fffffffffff!" instead. Everybody knew what Danny actually wanted to yell anyway. Some days you can't get anything right and you don't even know what it is you have to improve. Everybody's been there, but Danny has been feeling that way for weeks.

Danny's mind was occupied by public opinion. Boston sports fans were demanding. They were expecting nothing less but greatness being so used to cheering for winning teams. Danny didn't want to be in the way of that. He knew all to well what they had said when he signed with the Patriots. _The Next Wes Welker._

Preseason was long over, but Danny seemed stuck there. Every game he needed to prove himself worthy of his team anew. The chip on his shoulder was growing bigger and heavier.

Already in the first preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles, one of Danny's former teams, people started shifting their focus more on Julian than on Danny as the first wide receiver. Julian was a jack of all trades: Offense, defense, special teams - it didn't matter -  "Put me in, Coach!," was all you'd ever hear from him. And now he was finally becoming a master of something. Something that was originally meant for Danny.

Tom Brady didn't seem to have chemistry with any of his wide receivers - with the exception of Julian - so finishing the preseason with one touchdown gave Danny hope. The season opener against the Buffalo Bills started out great for him, but his hope was quickly destroyed when he felt a stabbing pain in his groin in the first half after landing awkwardly. He was able to return in the second half, but the pain didn't go away. Another damn injury that prevented him from playing in the next three games. Danny knew what was coming and, just as expected, the fans were merciless. He didn't care about all of what they said, but this one word hurt the most. _Fragile._ It followed him from team to team.

Danny was back in Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals. He caught some passes, but it didn't matter much to him because they lost the game. It was their first loss of the season and that didn't help at all with Danny's self-doubts.

The next couple of weeks were better. They won against the undefeated New Orleans Saints and their biggest rival, the New York Jets. But still, Danny wasn't satisfied. He worked hard on his body, he was in fantastic shape, but the footballs were just not coming his way enough. He couldn't shake the feeling that one more dropped pass meant that he was gone.

Danny bent over, putting his hands on his knees and spit on the ground. He felt like throwing up from anger. He took deep breaths and watched the sweat drip from his forehead. Just a moment to cool down and then he would do it all again because giving up was never an option.

Someone was standing next to him.

"Hey, buddy," he said. It was Julian. "You alright?"

Danny tried hard to ignore him although the pity in his best friend's voice bothered him an awful lot. He would have tolerated consolation from anyone, but not Julian, the true _Next Wes Welker_ , who was having the football season of his life.

When Julian caringly put his hand on Danny's back as he awaited an answer, Danny snapped. He jerked his torso into an upright position and swatted his teammate's hand away.

"Woah. Cool it, bro." Julian raised an eyebrow, which somehow irked Danny even more. "What's wrong?"

"How about you mind your own business!" Danny exploded and surrounding teammates turned around in surprise. They all knew Danny as quiet and hardworking, not ever as an inconvenience. Especially not during practice.

"Come on, guys, practice ain't over!" Devin McCourty called over. A few of the others shifted their attention back to the coaches, but Danny and Julian were facing each other like dogs right before they fight, raised hackles and all.

"Didn't know you were so _fragile_." Jules knew exactly in which wound to poke and prod. Danny didn't think long and gave Julian a shove that send him stumbling back.

"HEY!"

The voice silenced them all and Coach Belichick parted the surrounding players. "You two! I don't know where you get the idea that I will tolerate this kind of behavior at my practice! If you have so much energy left, you're better off running the hills until team meetings, understand?"

"Yes, Coach," they answered in unison und started running for the hills.

Up and down, up and down. Danny's calves were on fire, but he kept going. He didn't dare to look over to Julian because he was still hot with anger. Sure, Julian wasn't the cause of his troubles, but he should have known better than to call Danny _fragile_ and fuel the fire.

The sun was starting to go down now. Danny was sure his whole skin had turned into sweat. Every step was dragging. The way downhill hurt as much as uphill. He wasn't even sure anymore if he was going up or down. Julian, who had started out running at least ten yards away from Danny was now just a yard away. They looked over to each other at the same time. Not sure if they just wanted to check if the other was still going or to beg for a break. They collapsed at the same time.

For a moment they were just enjoying the cool grass against their sweaty backs.

"I can't feel my legs," Julian groaned.

"I can feel mine _too much_ ," Danny answered. They were just breathing for a while and then Danny offered, "I'm sorry."

Julian propped himself up on one elbow. "Can we talk about this?"

Danny nodded ever so slightly. He knew he owed Jules an explanation for his irrational behavior, but he had no desire to explain himself. It all seemed so _stupid_ when said out loud.

"You're not angry at me?"

Danny shook his head.

"Then why?"

Now Danny sat up. "Because I can't do shit! I suck. And that makes me fear that I won't be around for long. But I wanna be around. I love it here."

"Come on, it's been only seven games with a brand new team. Did you expect to kill it every single time? That's just not realistic."

"I was supposed to be number one," Danny said quietly, avoiding any eye contact with the actual number one wide receiver. He knew it was selfish and stupid, but that was how he felt. That was what the media made him expect from himself.

"Okay. Now we're getting there."

"What?"

"To the bottom of your performance problem. You're putting too much pressure on yourself. I've been there, believe me, with a dad like mine."

Danny looked up. He was relieved that Julian wasn't angry with him, that Julian didn't think it was just jealousy.

"I know exactly who the  _dad_ is in your story..."

"Everyone expected me to be..." Danny sighed, "the _Next Wes Welker_."

"Fuck that!" Julian yelled. He got up and was now standing directly in front of Danny, both arms stemmed on his hips like Wonder Woman. "Nobody is the fucking _Next Wes Welker_. Not Collie, not me, and especially not you. Just because you're white and 5'9''? Please!"

"I'm 5'11''."

"See! You're taller than him! You're no goddamn Wes Welker. You're Danny freaking Amendola! And you're gonna make your own mark on this team. You just have to believe in yourself and ignore the noise. Okay?"

Julian looked at Danny with a goofy smile, tilting his head like a puppy. Danny couldn't stop himself from smiling.

"Okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Preseason  
> August 9, 2013: New England Patriots @ Philadelphia Eagles - W 31-22  
> August 16, 2013: Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New England Patriots - W 25–21  
> August 22, 2013: New England Patriots @ Detroit Lions - L 9–40  
> August 29, 2013: New York Giants @ New England Patriots - W 28–20
> 
> Regular Season  
> September 8, 2013: New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills - W 23–21  
> September 12, 2013: New York Jets @ New England Patriots - W 13–10  
> September 22, 2013: Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New England Patriots - W 23–3  
> September 29, 2013: New England Patriots @ Atlanta Falcons - W 30–23  
> October 6, 2013: New England Patriots @ Cincinnati Bengals - L 6–13  
> October 13, 2013: New Orleans Saints @ New England Patriots - W 30–27  
> October 20, 2013: New England Patriots @ New York Jets - L 27–30 (OT)]


	10. Sheriff And Deputy

"Come on, I'll show it to you!" Julian grabbed Danny's arm and pulled him along. Danny light-heartedly rolled his eyes at Matthew Slater, who chuckled at Julian's excitement. They went down the hall and Julian opened the door to their man cave. "There it is. What do you think?"

"Pretty neat," Danny started, "but-"

"I know." Matt appeared behind them, arms crossed. "It takes up the whole room."

That wasn't quite true. The apartment Matt and Jules shared was big enough, but Danny knew what his teammate meant. Julian's brand new ping pong table didn't leave a lot of space for the couch and TV and various gym equipment.

"You really let him buy it." Danny shook his head and pat Matt on the back.

Matt put and arm around Danny's shoulders. "Look at the little guy. How could I say no?"

"You know I'm in the room, right?" Julian asked and tossed Danny a paddle.

"And you know we could always just go to my place and play, right?" Danny remarked while getting in position at the opposite side of the table.

Matt threw himself onto the couch and pushed his glasses up his nose. "But he needs to practice in order to beat you. Made me play at least 50 times since we got it yesterday."

"That's unfortunate because he'll never beat me."

"Shut up now, both of you." Julian ordered and they began their first match.

 

* * *

 

They were on their 8th match. Sweat was dripping down their backs and they already lost their t-shirts. Danny had won every game so far, but Julian was determined to beat his best friend at least once.

Danny thought he saw the ball hit the wall before Julian played it and let the ball go by without hitting back.

"Ha!" Jules exclaimed triumphantly. "I'll win this time."

"No way! It hit the wall behind you! That's a foul!"

"No, it didn't. I played it."

"Bull."

Although they both knew how this match would end, none of them gave up the argument. They turned to Matt, who had fallen asleep over and over again. He swore he hadn't seen anything and just wanted to be left out of their dispute.

"Just admit it, Jules, you're not gonna win anyway. You can't win against me. There can be only one sheriff in town."

"You think _you're_ the sheriff?!"

"I think I've proven that over the last 8 matches."

The doorbell rang and Matt jerked up. "Ah, thank God, Shahry! My beautiful fiancée keeps on saving me."

He grinned at his two hot-head teammates and hurried out of the room. Julian went to close the door and leaned back against the wall. He smiled innocently. "I'll let it go if you kiss me."

Danny looked Julian up and down. His naked torso was glistening with sweat. He didn't even care about the damn ping pong ball anymore, but still considered it for a second.

"No way. A sheriff can't kiss his deputy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [October 27, 2013: Miami Dolphins @ New England Patriots - W 27-17]
> 
> Anyone still reading this? It took so much to finally write this dumb little filler chapter, you have no idea.
> 
> Yes, filler chapter. Because in the next chapter - which I may or may not have already written - two certain football players are gonna be forced to remember a certain event in a certain European city. *wink*


	11. The Cat In The Bag

Danny waited for Julian in the parking lot. He was usually the first one to leave the facility. Today's meeting had been short. They won and Coach Belichick was satisfied, which was rare. Last night's game had finally been a success for Danny. He had scored his first touchdown as a Patriot. Normally, he would have been up for celebrating, but the effort had left its mark: His whole body was sore and all he wanted to do was get some food, watch TV, and pass out on the couch. Julian had other plans.

It was a chilly November day. Danny zipped his jacket up and jumped up and down to get a little warmer. It was no good.

“Dammit, Julian,” he muttered, “always taking so long.”

“Danny?”

Danny was surprised to hear his name. It wasn't Julian. Danny couldn't remember ever hearing his name spoken with an English accent. He turned around to find a blonde woman standing next to Julian's car.

“I thought it was you,” she said, “I can't believe it. You actually switched teams to be together. That is – I had to see it for myself.”

Danny was confused. Her face seemed strangely familiar, but he couldn't remember if he knew her or not and what she said made absolutely no sense.

“Excuse me?” he asked politely.

“You don't remember me? Wow. How many women do you see naked in a year? Not that it's even been a whole year...”

_A year?_ Danny thought. I've been with Talor longer than that.

“Danny.” She sounded disappointed. “It's me. Hannah.”

“Hannah. Oh shit.” It all came to him. Drinking, dancing, undressing, kissing, fucking.

“Shit, shit, shit!” he cursed, walked a few steps away and came back. Hannah looked heartbroken.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...,” he started.

“It's alright. I guess you guys did not work it out like I thought.”

“No, we didn't. I forgot all about it, so she doesn't even know.”

“ _She?_ Who are you talking about?”

“Who are _you_ talking about?”

“Julian.”

“What?!”

“Hannah!” Julian finally appeared in the parking lot. He ran up to her and hugged her tightly, even picking her up. Danny didn't understand. His memory of the night in London was blurry but he couldn't remember Julian being there at all. He wondered how they even knew each other.

“Did you see the game yesterday? We scored 55 points! And Danny here got his first touchdown as a Patriot.” Julian wrapped an arm around Danny's shoulders.

“Yes, I saw. Congratulations, boys.”

“Danny and I are gonna hang out at my place now and go celebrate later. Do you wanna come?”

Hannah looked at Danny for a second. “No, sorry. I'm quite jet lagged. We'll catch up later.”

She kissed Julian on the cheek and gave Danny a long look before she left.

“Unbelievable.” Julian shook his head as he entered Danny's car. “She didn't even tell me she was in the country.”

“How do you know her?” Danny asked carefully. He was burning to know what was going on, but he didn't want to sound desperate.

“She was an exchange student at Kent State. We hooked up a few times, never too serious, but became good friends.”

Danny nodded slowly. “Julian?”

“What?”

“Do you remember London last year?”

“Yeah, we kicked your asses.”

“I don't mean the game. I mean after.”

Julian thought about it for a bit. “Not a real lot. I met with Hannah, we went to a bar, we met you. I remember the three of us in a hotel room and next thing I know I wake up next to you naked.”

Danny took a deep breath. “So I just found out that I not only cheated on my girlfriend, but I did so having a threesome?! That's just great.”

“Wait. You didn't know?” Julian asked in an amused tone, which annoyed Danny endlessly.

“No! All this time we've been hanging out and you never said a word!”

“Well, it wasn't something I could just bring up in a conversation. You introduced me to Talor and I just assumed you wanted that memory dead and buried.”

Danny pulled up Julian's driveway, but kept his seat belt on.

“I guess you're not coming in?”

“I'm really not in the mood to celebrate with you tonight.”

“Danny, please don't be mad. I'll see you tomorrow?”

Julian didn't get an answer.

 

Danny was welcomed by Willie and DeaDea when he arrived home. He pet them and talked to them, more to calm himself rather than the dogs. Danny was angry. He wanted to be angry at Jules and Hannah, but he had no one to blame but himself. He loved Talor, he didn't understand what made him do such a stupid thing.

Danny texted the dogsitter that they didn't have to come today when his doorbell rang. For a moment, he thought it was Talor, here to break up with him, but it was a different blonde standing on his front porch.

“Don't be mad. I sorta followed you here,” she said with a guilty look on her face, “but I think there's some things you need to know.”

Danny gestured Hannah to come in. He took her coat and led her into the kitchen. “Coffee?”

They didn't say anything until the coffee was ready. Danny sat down staring into his cup. He felt like even just looking at her meant cheating on Talor.

“It's nice that you want to clear things up, but Julian told me everything.”

“Oh? Good. Don't let this come between you. I believe you belong together.”

“I know. I was planning to marry her one day.”

“ _Her?_ Who are you talking about now?”

“Who are _you_ – not this again!”

“I am talking about Julian and you... Wow, you really don't remember and apparently neither does he,” Hannah realized when she saw how lost Danny appeared. She took a sip of her coffee and exhaled deeply.

“Okay, here's what really happened: Julian was supposed to meet me at the pub after the football game, but he showed up very late and with Robert, the big one-”

“Gronk?”

“Yes, Gronk. I was mad at Julian, so he said he wants to make it up to me. I joked that he'd have to have a threesome with me and another man. It was really just meant as a joke, but Julian was into it. He wanted to ask Gronk, but we couldn't find him anymore. Then he saw you, all drunk and mopey. I didn't know you had a girlfriend and asking you that never crossed my mind. All I could think about was how handsome you both were... Then we left the pub for a hotel. We had some more drinks, we were dancing and making out and undressing... You and I started having sex, but then Julian kissed you and-”

“What?!”

“Yes, you and Julian kissed and it all changed. I protested, but you didn't pay attention to me anymore. Neither of you. I watched you make out for a while, but when it became more than kissing, I left. I knew my turn was over. It was all you and him then.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [November 3, 2013: Pittsburgh Steelers @ New England Patriots - W 55-31]


	12. Yo Soy Fiesta

 

 

> _Danny Middlename Amendola!  
>  (don't know your middle name, 2 lazy 2 google)_
> 
> _what's up, Slate?  
>  _
> 
> _haven't seen ya at our place in 5 days_  
>  _r u good?  
>  __u and Jules fight?_
> 
> _nah, I'm just busy..._
> 
> _K. come around when ur not  
>  _ _he's kind of a mess without you._

 

Danny put his phones aside and pulled the blanket over his face. Whenever he wasn't at Gillette Stadium, he was hiding in his bed. Hiding from Jules. How could he ever face him again?

 _Julian must know by now. Hannah must have told him, too. All this time I barely let him kiss me. Acting all high and mighty because I have a girlfriend and I wanted to be faithful to her. While we already did_ everything?!

Danny groaned and the dogs came running. He helped Willie and DeaDea up on the bed and let them in on his hiding spot under the covers.

“He must hate me,” Danny said to the dogs. “If he hates me, I will die.”

Willie started licking his face.

“Yes, I know, I'm being dramatic.”

Danny peeled the covers back and sat up. It was time to face the day! But then his phone buzzed and he was right back in hiding.

“Oh no, guys,” he whispered. “It's him telling me he hates me and never wants to see me again. Or it's Coach telling me I'm cut for distracting his No. 1 receiver. Maybe it's Talor telling me she can sense my bullshit all the way from New York...”

The dogs only started paying attention to Danny's ramblings when they heard their mom's name. Danny hugged DeaDea for courage as he searched for his phone. He found it under Willie's butt.

A sigh of relief. It was Matthew Slater again.

 

> _have you seen[this](https://youtu.be/dIxUzXPuj5c?t=1589)?  
>  lmao_

 

He had attached a link to a youtube video called “Dunkin' Donuts Live Facebook Chat with Gronk” at the 26:29 mark. Scott Zolak, a former Patriots quarterback, was asking Gronk: “What's the biggest bromance on the team? Who are the two guys, who just can't get enough of each other?”

“Oh man, that's easy,” Gronk said with a smirk, clapping his hands together. _Oh no_ , Danny thought. “Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola.”

The audience laughed. “No way!” was Zolak's response.

Gronk continued: “Both the same height, the same size... same weight, same players... I think they love each other.”

Laughter.

Danny paused the video to catch his breath.

_I think they love each other._

_They love each other._

_Love each other._

_Love._

“Holy shit,” Danny muttered. But it wasn't over yet.

Zolak asked: “You think that they would dress up like each other - Halloween is over, but-”

“They'd dress up as each other and be like, 'man, you're so cool'.”

Laughter again. Then they moved on with the interview like it was nothing.

Danny glanced at the snapback on the windowsill, which he had borrowed from Jules. And the t-shirt hanging over a chair in the corner. And the sweatpants he was wearing right then and there. All Julian's.

 _Same height, same size_. Same style. Julian had just as many clothes of his. It didn't really matter to them when most of it was Patriots gear anyway.

“Damn you, Gronk.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [November 8, 2013: Gronk Interview]


End file.
